Category Archives: On What I’ve Watched

Well, I didn’t make it through all the Ghibli films before my upcoming trip to Japan and the Ghibli Museum (April 17th, yay!!!). But I did make it as far as Howl’s Moving Castle, thanks to a couple of obliging friends who submitted themselves to sitting through these two crazy hours of anime with me.

Howl’s has always had a special place in my heart, because it was the first Ghibli film that really hooked me. But it had been a few years since I’d last seen the film, and I was surprised when I watched it last weekend by how different it is from the rest of the Ghibli canon. To this day, I find myself a little bewildered by the simple logistics of the film — what the heck is going on, anyways? But still somehow, despite its confusing logical leaps and occasional absurdities, I just love Howl’s Moving Castle.

First of all, it’s written and directed by Miyazaki, with an incredibly simple and beautiful score from Joe Hisaishi. The English version voice acting is decent, with Billy Crystal’s portrayal of Calcifer far outshining the rest. I find Christian Bale’s voice to be perpetually annoying, and it’s no different here, where he lends vocals to Howl himself, who momentarily loses his identity as Bale breaks out his Dark Knight chops and slips into THE bat-voice (I hate the bat-voice). The animation is beautiful, however, and the characters are delightfully exaggerated and amusing, as is Ghilbli’s wont.

Things fall a little bit apart for me where the plot holes develop. Don’t get me wrong — Howl’s was my long-standing Ghibli favorite, though now I believe the title must rest once and for all on Totoro (unless some Ghibli film yet-to-be-released might overshadow it). But I did feel a little disjointed throughout this viewing, because the tone of the film struggles to balance a thoroughly British steam-punk vibe with Ghibli’s characteristically caricatured Japanese flavor. It might have something to do with the fact that the story is adapted and interpreted from British author Diana Wynne Jones’ novel of the same name. Still, it’s not a game-changing flaw. Howl’s Moving Castle is certainly still among Ghibli’s best, in my book, particularly if you’ll let yourself sit back, laugh at its sentimentally- and bizarrely-structured story, and enjoy the richness of Miyazaki’s world.

Additionally, I think the female lead, Sophie, is awesome. She is easily one of the most level-headed and subdued anime heroines I can think of. Also, although Howl is an absolute idiot pretty much throughout the film, and her attachment to him seems odd, I like the role that Sophie’s age plays in her perception of Howl and herself throughout the film. I think it’s saying something interesting about youth and maturity — particularly when Howl’s childishness is taken into account. But since I have no really developed theory on that account, I’ll merely state that as silly as the film can be at times, I think there’s an undercurrent of substance that I find refreshing, especially among animated fare.

Pros: Great music, gorgeous animation, Miyazaki, lovable side characters (particularly Turnip-head, Calcifer, and old-lady Witch of the Waste), great female lead, fun and bizarre and humorous story, just a hint of depth

Cons: It gets way sentimental at times, and there’s a lot that doesn’t make sense (what is this crazy war about, who’s that dude that pops up randomly at the end, doesn’t it seem like things wrap up a little too easily, I’m confused). Also, the film’s portrayal of love could have been genuinely profound, especially as it deals with Sophie’s appearance and Howl’s insecurities, but instead it fails to achieve genuine depth, and remains in the realm of surface-level, emotional affections.

Based on my nostalgia, I really thought this would be the third five-star film on my Ghibli list — but alas, it shall not join My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies with that distinction. I love the film, though, a whole bunch. And so, four stars it is! **** out of *****

After Spirited Away, I was eager to watch more Ghibli, so last night I watched the next film on my list, The Cat Returns. Now, by all appearances, this should be my favorite thing ever — I mean, a labyrinth, a magical kingdom, and a TON of talking cats! But really this film just weirds me out. I am not a fan. Not at all.

Now, you have to understand that this film is kind of a sequel to Whisper of the Heart (one of my all-time favorites!), but it’s not really a sequel either. Cary Elwes returns to voice The Baron (who’s still awesome, but way less awesome in Cat Returns than in Whisper), and the music for both films was composed by Yuji Nomi (who’s certainly no Hisaishi, but whose scores are pleasant nonetheless). Other than that, there’s really no connection. Unfortunately for The Cat Returns, Miyazaki did NOT write this story (like he did for Whisper). In fact, he wasn’t really involved at all in the production of this film.

And the film suffers from his absence. The tone of the thing is just not right. It just doesn’t feel like Ghibli. And although it’s only an hour and fifteen minutes long, the thing feels like it takes a painful eternity to watch — it just drags. The animation lacks that cozy, crisp, gorgeous Ghibli style. The characters are obnoxious and trite, almost without exception. The whole film depends heavily on this lowbrow humor, full of boisterous antics and witless jabs (things like Finding Nemo‘s painfully dumb “Touch the butt!” attempts at humor). It feels like you’re just watching an American straight-to-home-video cartoon. And it doesn’t help that Anne Hathaway voices the main character in the English dub. Can’t stand that. Even Tim Curry doesn’t help much, because the character to which he lends his voice is one of the most obnoxious of the bunch!

Then there’s the “Believe in yourself!” tripe that gets peddled throughout the whole thing. It’s just a mess. It’s no Pom Poko, but it’s a mess nonetheless. So, now that my rant is finished …

There is nothing quite like a Miyazaki movie to make a sick day feel better. So, while I languished in a gallbladder-pain-induced stupor today, I decided it was high time to continue my chronological viewing of Studio Ghibli’s films with Spirited Away. And, hey, it happened to be a Monday today, so happy Miyazaki Monday once again! Now, this is a significant film for me. I first heard of it while watching for The Two Towers to snag a few (unfortunately, a very few) Oscars in 2003. And after seeing it win Best Animated Feature, my brother and I watched the film together — it was the very first Studio Ghibli film I’d ever seen. That first viewing was a very long time ago, and watching Spirited Away again was even more spectacular in the light of my enthusiasm for all things Ghibli (well, except Pom Poko) that’s grown over the years.

First of all, Joe Hisaishi’s score is absolutely impeccable. I cannot overstate how wonderful the music sounds, nor how beautifully it bolsters the animation — particularly the title melody, and the delightful piano work in the first boiler room sequence. As far as Ghibli goes, the Spirited Away score is matched only by Hisaishi’s masterful work in Howl‘s Moving Castle, but I’ll get to that some other time. The American voice acting is once again adequate and pleasant — highlighted by Suzanne Pleshette as the elderly and quixotic witch twins and, most impressively, David Ogden Stiers as one of my very favorite characters, Kamajii, the boiler man (pictured above). Can you tell I love the boiler room scenes? Because also, the little soot creatures eating their pastel star foods just make me ridiculously happy!

Spirited Away is at once one of the most bizarre and delightful of Miyazaki’s films, which is probably why it is likely the best-known and most-loved among American audiences, despite its thoroughly Japanese flavor. It transports us to a strange and even more foreign Wonderland, where odd faceless creatures drop gold from their transparently smoky appendages, where a radish spirit is a dedicated customer at the bath house, where gigantic babies can be turned into adorably chubby rats, and where, in true Miyazaki style, the kindest people still live in country cottages with magical spinning wheels and friendly lampposts that hop ahead of visitors, lighting the way home. It is gorgeous and enthralling, and while not my personal favorite of Ghibli’s films, it deserves the place it holds as the favorite of many.

Pros: MUSIC, a wildly imaginative and engaging cast of characters, a plot that’s never too fast nor too slow, did I mention the boiler room?, Best Animated Film in 2003, altogether a perfectly wonderful and wondrous viewing experience

Cons: Ghibli has this silly habit of making ten-year-olds fall in love and stuff (I find this annoying, though I think Miyazaki usually pulls it off with an abundance of endearing innocence, purity, and simplicity), really there’s not much else wrong with it at all

I have a hard time rating this one against the other films, because I know most people believe it to be Miyazaki’s finest work — still, I reserve that place for Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle (along with Takahata’s Fireflies). So, although Spirited Away undoubtedly deserves a ***** out of ***** … I’m going to stick with my completely subjective scaling criteria and give it an almost-five-but-only **** out of ***** 🙂

If you’re interested in watching some excellent foreign animation, but don’t know where to start, I’ve reviewed a bunch of things here and here. 😀